With plans preceeding to begin building an international space station next year, the head of NASA has praised French and European involvement and says he hopes for co-operation in building a low-cost crew shuttle.
Daniel Goldin was in France to meet with officials of the European Space Agency; the state-controlled aerospace company Aerospatiale; and Arianespace, the commercial arm of the ESA. His mission also was to lobby for closer ties to share technology and combine efforts to control costs in the multi-billion-dollar project.
After watching the televised launch of a satellite-carrying Ariane rocket in French Guyana, Goldin says that because France competes with the United States, "the American launch industry is better."
Arianespace, the commercial arm of the multi-national European Space Agency, leads the world's commercial launch market.
Source: Flight Daily News
